An area's labor force provides insight on the availability factor and is residence-based—that is, the people are working or seeking work and reside in the particular county or region.
| Annual Labor Force Estimates in 2024 | ||
| Number | Pct. Chg. from 2019 | |
| Labor Force | 129,888 | -5.1% |
| Employed | 123,534 | -6.4% |
| Unemployed | 6,354 | 28.4% |
| Rate | 4.9 | 36.1% |
| Labor Force Estimates | |||||
| Labor Force | Emp. | Unemp. | Area Rate | State Rate | |
| 2014 | 128,902 | 120,485 | 8,417 | 6.5 | 5.9 |
| 2015 | 130,487 | 123,942 | 6,545 | 5.0 | 4.8 |
| 2016 | 134,412 | 128,360 | 6,052 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | 134,163 | 129,343 | 4,820 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| 2018 | 136,398 | 131,536 | 4,862 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
| 2019 | 136,905 | 131,955 | 4,950 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 131,738 | 120,166 | 11,572 | 8.8 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | 129,450 | 123,463 | 5,987 | 4.6 | 3.9 |
| 2022 | 130,066 | 125,477 | 4,589 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
| 2023 | 129,917 | 124,643 | 5,274 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| 2024 | 129,888 | 123,534 | 6,354 | 4.9 | 4.0 |